Trick5 – Fitbit just acquired a cloud-based health care company that you probably haven’t heard of – Trick5

Trick5 – Fitbit just acquired a cloud-based health care company that you probably haven’t heard of – Trick5

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Fitbit announced today that it has acquired a small, Boston-based software startup called Twine Health for an undisclosed amount.

Twine Health probably isn’t a name that will resonate with a lot of people who don’t follow digital health closely, but it’s a collaborative software platform aimed at workplace wellness providers. It tracks chronic diseases and connects patients with health coaches and doctors for guidance. It was founded in 2014, and according to Crunchbase, had raised nearly $10 million in funding prior to being bought.

A spokesperson for Fitbit said that “nearly all” of Twine Health’s employees will join Fitbit, specifically Fitbit’s Health Solutions Group, and that Twine co-founder and chief executive John Moore will become Fitbit’s medical director. Fitbit also says there won’t be “disruption in service,” and that Twine customers will still have access to the platform.

But for Fitbit, and some other wearable makers that have ducked out of the market entirely, there are still plenty of challenges around providing value both for current smartwatch wearers and potential customers. In other words: wearable makers not named Apple are still struggling to get people to wear their wearables. Fitbit has also seen its business contract in the past few quarters, though it hasn’t yet reported its fourth quarter (holiday season) results from 2017.

Trick5 – Fitbit just acquired a cloud-based health care company that you probably haven’t heard of – Trick5